Known in the art is a process for producing a water-soluble polyelectrolyte by way of passing gaseous ammonia through acrylic acid, followed by polymerization of the resulting reaction mass in the presence of a polymerization initiator--hydrogen peroxide (cf. Uzbekesky Khimichesky Zhurnal /Uzbek Chemical Journal/, No. 2, 1962, Uzbek SSR Academy of Sciences Publishing House, Tashkent; K.S.Akhmedov. K.V.Pogorelsky "Production of novel polymeric preparations for artificial structurization of soils and other disperse systems", pp. 43-45).
The polyelectrolyte produced by this prior art process features an unsatisfactory solubility in water, as well as a low flocculating and structurizing capacity.
Also known in the art is a process for producing a water-soluble polyelectrolyte comprising mixing acrylic acid with ammonium carbonate at the molar ratio of acrylic acid to ammonium carbonate of 2:1 respectively, followed by the addition of hydrogen peroxide to the resulting reaction mass in an amount of from 0.5 to 0.9% by mass of acrylic acid at a temperature of 7820 -80.degree. C. for 20 minutes and then--at a spontaneous elevation of temperature to 110.degree.-140.degree. C. (SU, A, 475370).
This prior art process has a disadvantage residing in that polymerization of the reaction mass at the temperature of 78.degree.-80.degree. C. is effected for a relatively long time (20 minutes) which is associated with high level of energy consumption.
Furthermore, the water-soluble polyelectrolyte produced by this process has a relatively low flocculating capacity and a relatively low structurization capacity in the formation of an artificial soil structure. Thus, in thickening of ore pulps at a mass ratio of the solid phase (S) to the liquid phase--water (L) equal to 1:4-5 respectively and at the consumption rate of the flocculant (the above-mentioned polyelectrolyte) of 50 g per 1 ton of the ore pulp the coefficient efficient of the flocculatng ability is 0.87. In the formation of an artificial structure such as sierozem (gray desert soil) /plough depth 0-25 cm/ the structurization capacity of the polyelectrolyte (i.e. its capacity of forming water-resistant soil aggregates with a diameter above 0.25 mm) is 59.9% at the concentration of polyelectrolyte in sierozem of 0.03% by mass.